Feeling needled

IT seemed the ideal way to celebrate their love for their children.

Mothers Julie McMahon and Leigh-Anne Gracie decided to have their little ones’ names tattooed on their arms using Chinese symbols.

But now - just like Manchester United star David Beckham - the pair have been told their tattoos are a disaster.

England skipper Beckham faced ridicule when experts said his Hindi tribute to wife Victoria was misspelt as "Vihctoria".

But Mrs McMahon and Ms Gracie claim to have suffered a worse fate. They say a languages experts has told them their tattoos consist of a martial arts emblem and gibberish.

Mrs McMahon, 20, paid 31.50 to have the initials of her children two-year-old Liam and one-year-old Nicole tattooed on her right arm in Cantonese. Instead she claims her tattoo reads "hand combat". Ms Gracie, 19, claims she paid 20 to have the name of her ten-month-old baby Charlie emblazoned on her arm but says she ended up with a jumble of Japanese and Cantonese words saying "a town of woman’s martial arts" instead.

After experts from the Edinburgh Chinese School, based at the city’s Drummond Community High School, confirmed the symbols did not represent the names of the children, the mums have decided to take legal action.

Trading standards officers in Edinburgh have also launched an investigation after receiving official complaints about the art work, carried out at the Blue Tiger Tattoo salon on Easter Road.

Mrs McMahon, who lives on Easter Road, said she was left in a state of shock when a waitress at a Chinese restaurant explained she had a martial arts symbol on her arm.

"At first I just couldn’t believe it. I was just so upset I couldn’t speak. Now I’m very angry because I’ve got this for life. I trusted the tattooist. I didn’t think for a minute that they would do something which could be wrong.

"We have decided to see our lawyer because we want them removed and we also want compensation if the laser treatment leaves us scarred."

Ms Gracie, of Nisbet Court, in Restalrig, added: "Mine doesn’t even make sense. I feel awful and want more than a refund. There must be hundreds of people wandering around Edinburgh with rubbish written on their bodies. "

A spokeswoman for the Chinese school said she was "confused" when she saw the tattoos and urged anyone wanting names translated into Chinese characters to visit the Bellevue Place centre between 12noon and 1pm every Saturday after September 14, when it reopens for the new term.

The spokeswoman added: "Leigh-Anne’s tattoo is disgraceful. There’s no such thing as the Chinese alphabet. If people want their tattoos to be correct they should either visit us or ask at a Chinese supermarket. I can’t believe how wrong both the tattoos are."

John Andrew, of solicitors Campbell Smith, said his clients were considering further options. He said: "They didn’t get what they asked for and it looks as though the illustrations on the wall of the parlour may have been misleading.

"My clients are aggrieved and we’re looking at the possibility of suing. "

Peter Mackie, owner of the tattoo salon, said he had never had any complaints before, despite having done the symbols for decades. He added: "We get the designs from down south, they’re the same as the other tattoo parlours across the country.

"Everyone knows there’s no Chinese alphabet. This is the closest we can get using characters for each letter. "